


Gifted

by lasvegas_lights



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Everyone has superpowers, First Kiss, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, slightly AU, slightly canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-05
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2020-08-10 00:10:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20126143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lasvegas_lights/pseuds/lasvegas_lights
Summary: Being gifted is a privilege, one that Steve, Danny, Kono and Chin all share. They use their gifts to catch people in Hawaii using their gifts for evil. Whilst Danny's seen Kono and Chin's gifts in action, he's yet to see Steve's. Curiosity might kill the cat...or Danny.





	Gifted

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you all like this! The idea came to me and couldn't let it go. It's my first foray into the H50 universe but hopefully not my last. This is also unbeta'd so any mistakes are my own.

“Has he told you?” Kono asks him, three months into the job. They’re standing by the flashy computer table he’s still trying to get the hang of using, whilst Steve is on the phone to the Governor in his office. His eyes drift in Steve’s direction, his mind somewhere else entirely when Kono poses the question.   
  
“Hmm?” Danny blinks and returns his attention back to the rookie.   
  
“Steve, has he told you?”  
  
“Told me what?”  
  
“His gift? It’s been driving me crazy not knowing.”  
  
Danny had wanted to be a cop for as long as he could remember, even before he gained his own gift of being able to tell when someone was lying. Being a human lie detector had given him a huge advantage when going for his detective’s badge as well as being the reason he has so many solved cases under his belt. Unfortunately, it also meant he knew his marriage was over when Rachel told him she loved him and he knew she didn’t mean it.   
  
He still remembers when the gifts started manifesting around the world. His parents, their friends and people on TV talked about it like it was a sign that the end of the world was nigh. They didn’t get any gifts themselves, his generation had been the first and it had taken some getting used to. There never seemed to be any order as to who got a gift and who didn’t and the gifts themselves were random and sometimes entirely useless. A girl in his class at school could talk to rabbits, another was able to hold his breath for half an hour.   
  
Back then, people were afraid a lot. For those with gifts, the fear was being seen a freak, fear of being herded up and locked away and experimented on like some kind of science experiment, fear of never being able to live a normal life. Those without gifts feared being left behind, feared the possibility of too much power in the wrong hands and being caught in the crossfire. 

Somehow, whether it was luck or a higher power no-one's fears were truly realised. Yes, there were science experiments, but with consenting participants. The results helped everyone to understand the gifts better. Yes, there were bad people who used their gifts for nefarious purposes, but they were stopped.   
  
Twenty years later, Danny couldn't imagine his life without his gift. It was a part of who he was and the reason he was part of the Governor’s new elite task force. Every member had a gift and their jurisdiction covered the more complicated cases in Hawaii, focusing more often than not on criminals with gifts.  
  
Kono had been blessed with perfect balance, something which had come in handy as a professional surfer. After busting her knee and enrolling in the police academy, she discovered her gift helped her rise to the top of her self defence and sharpshooting classes. She could hit a target two hundred meters away standing on one foot and take someone down twice her size whilst blindfolded.   
  
Her cousin, Lieutenant Chin Ho Kelly had been gifted an eidetic memory, There wasn’t much he didn’t remember which was handy during complicated cases but Danny knew the vivid memories of the death and destruction he witnessed on a daily basis haunted his new friend most nights.   
  
Their fearless leader, on the other hand, was a mystery. Danny knew Steve was gifted, he’d seen the ID all gifted people carried in his wallet. The SEAL reservist had entered his life like a tornado, simultaneously wrecking Danny’s life and improving it at the same time. Steve McGarrett was strong and fearless and frustrating whilst being annoyingly perfect. Not that Danny would ever tell his partner that. Steve was also an enigma. What he knew about Steve were the small slivers of information the man had been willing to reveal. Any files Danny has access to are heavily redacted and he knows just enough to know Steve doesn’t trust easily. Danny plans on being someone Steve can trust without question, no matter how long it takes.   
  
“Danny?” Kono pulls Danny out of his reverie once more.   
  
“I honestly don’t know Kono.”  
  
“Well have you asked?”   
  
Danny hasn’t asked. Asking people what their gift was, was mostly frowned upon. It was too personal a question, like asking someone if they’re planning on having kids or what kind of things they liked in the bedroom. It was only polite to wait until that information was offered up.   
  
Danny snorts “Not unless I wanna get shot again.”  
  
“Do you think it’s something Navy related? Maybe he can breathe underwater or talk to fish.”  
  
“He’s not Aquaman” _Not for a lack of trying_, Danny thinks to himself. “Look, he clearly doesn’t want people to know. He probably wouldn’t like you gossiping about it either, so I would drop it if I were you.”  
  
Kono sighs and nods. “Yeah, I know.” She makes a hasty retreat to her office as Steve hangs up the phone, stands up and heads in Danny’s direction.   
  
“Governor Jamieson okay?”  
  
“As happy as she ever is,” Steve answers. “Everything okay out here? What were you and Kono talking about?”   
  
“Nothing of interest,” Danny responds quickly and whilst he knows Steve doesn’t have Danny’s gift of lie detection, the experienced Naval officer senses something is off. Before Steve can prod any further, Chin walks in with new evidence from their latest case and the issue of Steve’s gift is forgotten.

For a few weeks at least.  
  
Kono’s question about Steve begins to roll around in Danny’s head. The better he gets to know the Navy SEAL, the more frustrating it is not knowing what his gift is. He watches Steve more closely, particularly when out in the field, looking for clues. He has a mental list of possibilities that he crosses off one by one. At first, he thinks Steve might have perfect aim, but that theory flies out the window when Steve shoots and misses a target during a case.   
  
For a brief moment, he entertains the idea that Steve’s gift is sheer stubbornness. Steve had been particularly frustrating that week, determined that they didn’t need help from HPD and he _certainly_ didn’t need to go to the hospital for a five-inch gash down his arm.   
  
As the list of possible gifts shortens, Danny’s desire to know the truth grows, as well as the need to know why Steve doesn’t want to share. Whilst they had butted heads on first meeting, their friendship has grown quickly. Quicker and stronger than any partnership Danny had had previously. They spend the majority of evenings after work in each other’s company, his daughter Grace calls Steve ‘Uncle’ and spare house keys have already been swapped and added onto keyrings. 

The worst part? Steve has noticed him staring. Danny’s relieved that Steve hasn’t said anything about it, but he knows he’s been pretty obvious and his partner isn’t an idiot.   
  
“You wanna share?” Steve finally asks one night at his. They’re out on the beach chairs, a bottle in each hand and a couple of empties at their feet already.   
  
“Share what?” Danny replies, attempting and failing to sound casual in his response.   
  
“The staring Danno. You’ve been doing it. A lot. I can feel when your eyes are on me y’know.” He takes a sip and narrows his eyes at his partner, “Go on, tell me.”  
  
“It’s nothing.”  
  
“You and I have very different definitions of nothing.”  
  
“Forget it, I’ll stop, I promise,” he raises both hands in the air in surrender.  
  
He knows Steve well enough to know he’s not going to drop it any time soon but he leaves it for now and Danny's momentarily relieved. Steve’s piercing eyes send a shiver down Danny’s spine. He hates how obvious he is sometimes, he’s never been able to play his cards close to his chest. It’s ironic, he thinks, that someone like him who can sniff out a lie from a hundred paces can’t keep his own secrets.   
  
They stumble back towards the house three beers later. Danny’s not drunk but pleasantly buzzed and the feeling of Steve’s warm hand on his back isn’t helping matters.   
  
“I should call a cab, it’s late.”  
  
“Or you could stay?” Steve offers, trying to sound casual but the offer comes out heavy with promise.   
  
He stands close, too close. Heat radiates off his body, sinking into Danny and eroding his resolve. Danny is prepared for so many things when it comes to Steve but not this. A hand slowly slides up his flank and then it stops as Steve waits for Danny to respond.   
  
“This is a really bad idea,” Danny reminds Steve. They’re work partners, they both have more baggage than would fit in the cargo hold of a 757, they can’t be each other’s weaknesses.   
  
“Probably,” Steve agrees. Like it’s that simple.   
  
The decision is taken out of their hands. Steve phone rings, jolting them both out of the staring contest they’d found themselves in and he steps away to answer it. The sudden lack of Steve against him leaves Danny feeling cold and empty. He lets out the breath he didn’t even realise he was holding.   
  
He listens in for long enough to figure out that it’s Mary, Steve’s sister, on the other end and it sounds serious. Steve shoots him an apologetic look and Danny shrugs in response. He digs into his pocket for his own cell and quickly finds a number for a nearby taxi company. Steve is still on the phone when the cab arrives and he leaves without saying goodbye.   
  
They don’t talk about it at work the next day or the day after that and Danny has no idea what’s going on inside Steve’s mind. They work alongside each other seamlessly like always but the shift in their relationship, whilst unspoken, isn't easy to ignore.   
  
“Look,” the scumbag handcuffed to the chair in rendition begins, “I wasn’t anywhere near her house when she died.”  
  
Steve looks to Danny for confirmation.  
  
“He’s lying,” Danny says confidently. The lie in the man's words stand out to him like a flashing billboard in Vegas.   
  
Steve turns back to the suspect. “You heard the man.”  
  
“I’m not lying man,” he insists.   
  
“Then we’ve got a problem don’t we Wade, ‘cos my partner over there says you are lying, and he has a gut for this kind of thing.”  
  
“Yeah?” Wade sneers.   
  
Danny shrugs, “Let’s just say I’m _gifted_ in this particular area.”  
  
Wade’s face drops as he realises what that means. “Oh shit.”  
  
“That’s one way to put it,” Steve responds dryly, “Gonna tell us the truth then or what?”  
  
“If not, the shark cage was really effective with the last guy who tried to lie to us,” Danny adds.   
  
Wade starts talking and doesn’t stop talking for a good ten minutes. It’s all true, Danny confirms, but unfortunately, none of it is useful and they’re forced to let Wade go.  
  
They catch the killer the next day after a foot chase through downtown Honolulu. He's only a few yards behind when Steve launches into the air and tackles the murderer to the ground. When Steve looks up at him with a wide grin and says “Book ‘em Danno” it does something to Danny that he hasn’t experienced since long before his divorce.   
  
“So...” Kono slips into his office when he returns from booking. “Something’s up and I want to know what.”  
  
Danny looks up from his paperwork, “Something’s up?” He repeats.  
  
“Come on, you think me and Chin haven’t noticed something’s changed between you and McGarrett?”   
  
Danny mentally curses. He hates how obvious he is sometimes, “I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about.”  
  
Kono rolls her eyes, “Sure you don’t.”  
  
“Don’t you also have paperwork to do rookie?”   
  
“Nice deflection there, Williams, I’m on to you both.”  
  
“Why don’t you go ask him about it then” Danny waves his hand in the direction of Steve’s office across the room.   
  
Kono laughs, “I’m not an idiot.” She rises from the couch and begins to make her exit. Halfway out the door she stops and turns back to look at Danny. “By any chance, you find out what his gift is yet?”  
  
“What makes you think I’m the least bit curious?”  
  
“I’ll take that as a no,” Kono smirks and finally leaves, her exit as graceful as usual.   
  
There were a number of different reasons why people kept their gifts secret. Some gifts were just plain embarrassing, like the guy he arrested the first month on the job who could walk through walls but only when naked. Danny had arrested the man after he’d attempted to rob a bank and instead given the bank manager a show. Little did the robber know that the bank manager was a black belt in jujitsu and carried a taser in her purse.   
  
Other people were just ashamed or scared of their own powers. He’d heard of stories of people hurting the ones they love by accident and whole families ruined because of them. Rachel hadn’t liked that he could tell when she was lying. Even lying for a good reason, like planning surprises were out of the question. Whilst it had certainly contributed to the breakdown of his marriage, it had been a combination of things from both of them which had ended things for good. Her new husband Stan wasn’t gifted but that’s what Rachel had liked about him, that and his healthy bank account.   
  
He often thinks about what he’ll do if Grace gets a gift. She was still too young for a gift to manifest but there was still a chance in a few years time. After twenty years of gifts being the new normal, scientists still hadn’t found an answer to why some people were gifted and others weren’t, it certainly wasn’t down to genetics. Over the last two decades, a lot of people had turned to religion, deciding that the only explanation had to be a God. Other people insisted it was just another step in evolution whilst there was a small group of people who believed aliens were living on Earth and bestowed the gifts upon people they deemed worthy. Danny honestly didn’t know what to believe. A part of him actually liked the mystery of it all, kept things interesting.   
  
Over the next week, they find themselves busier than ever when a new gang of gifteds start making a name for themselves across the island. Rachel also decides it’s the perfect time for her and Stan to take a second honeymoon. Danny is ecstatic to have Grace with him for a whole week but school runs and after school activities add an extra load onto his already busy schedule. The whole thing leaves him with barely any time to sleep, let alone think about Steve who he’s barely seen outside of the office. Danny knows it means something when he misses spending even more time with Steve outside of work.   
  
The week only gets worse when recon on a warehouse where they suspect the gang are storing weapons goes to shit. Danny doesn’t know how, but he’s sure the gang were tipped off. As soon as he and Steve climb out of the Camaro, bullets start flying. They split, Steve running to duck behind a dumpster whilst Danny runs behind a nearby van for protection. Without hesitating, Danny’s gun is firing back and he knows Steve is doing the same from his position. He can’t see Steve from where he’s crouching and he hates it.   
  
Danny’s heart races as adrenaline courses through his body. Whilst other people would panic in the same situation, Danny uses it to focus on fight rather than flight. Over the radio, he listens to Steve requesting back up five minutes ago and he hopes it’s not too far away. The volley of bullets increases and Danny’s not sure how long he can hold his position for.   
  
The longer he waits, the more frustrated he gets. He can’t nail down the location of the gangsters from where he is and he knows Steve isn’t well concealed against the dumpster. It’s only a matter of time before Steve is hit. He can’t let that happen.   
  
Decision made, he counts to three, lifts the barrel of his gun up and starts firing again as he rounds the front of the van. He knows he hits one as he runs across the open space towards Steve but there’s still at least one more gangster firing at them. Steve is shouting at him to get down but Danny can barely hear him over the sound of gunfire and the blood rushing in his ears.   
  
He runs out of luck just a few steps away from Steve. Something hot and sharp hits him hard and it knocks him off his feet. He’s too shocked at first. He’s wearing a vest, he can’t be hit. But the flare of pain just below the bottom of his kevlar begs to differ. He hears Steve shouting his name but he’s in too much pain to do anything other than stare at Steve with wide eyes.   
  
He feels a hand grab the collar of his vest and yank him out of the open and into the shade of the dumpster. “You need to keep pressure on it Danny!” His hands are forced down onto the bullet wound and he tries to do as he’s told but his hands are shaking and the pain he was experiencing has turned into a terrifying numbness.   
  
“Hold on buddy, you hear me?” Steve cups his cheek for the briefest of moments before he’s gone, out of sight and the shooting continues. After what feels like hours later but can only be seconds, the gunfire stops. Steve is back, hovering over him with worried eyes and his stronger hands replace Danny’s over the wound.   
  
“Just...flesh wound,” he somehow manages to say. He can taste blood in his mouth as he speaks and his body is trembling.   
  
“Danny, it’s going to be okay, I promise.”  
  
“Tell-tell Grace-”  
  
“Shhh.” Steve shuts him up. “Don’t talk like that, you’re not going to die, I’m not going to let you.” Lifting one hand away from Danny, Steve speaks into his radio. “This is Commander McGarrett, I need an ambulance at my location for a gunshot wound to the stomach, it’s a through and through and it’s bad.”  
  
“Help is being arranged for you now Commander,” Danny hears the woman at control respond. “Can you tell me who is hurt?”  
  
Steve meets Danny’s eyes and there’s an expression on his face that Danny’s never seen before, “It’s me, I’m the one shot,” Steve tells her.   
  
Danny frowns, but before he can say anything the hand on his stomach presses in deeply. He gasps as a sudden warmth spreads through his body, radiating out from the bullet wound and the strangest sensation Danny has ever felt passes through him. The numbness disappears, as does the pain and when Steve pulls away, Danny feels fine.   
  
“What?” Danny reaches down to feel unmarked skin where the bullet would had been. “What the hell?” It takes him a second to realise Steve’s face is pale and tight and then Steve’s body collapses beside him. “Steve?”  
  
His eyes widen as he notices the blood on Steve’s stomach and the second pool spreading quickly from underneath him. “Shit,” Danny scrambles up and places his hands over the wound on Steve. The wound that had been on Danny up until a moment ago.   
  
“Wasn’t gonna let you die,” Steve says through gritted teeth. “Can’t lose you.”   
  
Danny hears the sirens in the background and prays for them to hurry. “Can’t lose you either you idiot.”   
  
Everything happens in a blur for Danny. The ambulance arrives just as Chin and Kono arrive to secure the scene. The paramedics take over from Danny and he stands over them, staring at the blood on his hands. He doesn’t tell them that it had been him that had been shot. Who would believe it? There’s not a scratch on him. Instead, he holds his breath as they quickly get Steve onto a stretcher and into the ambulance.   
  
He doesn’t know how long he’s been pacing up and down the waiting area at Queen’s Medical Centre, but by the time Kono and Chin join him his feet and legs are aching. He knows it’s late. He had watched the sun go down every time he passed by the large window at one end of the room. It’s dark now and his patience is wearing thin.   
  
“Any news?” Chin asks.   
  
Danny shakes his head and finally drops into a chair. The combination of exhaustion and the crash after the adrenaline high taking its toll on him.   
  
Chin sighs loudly, “We should have got there sooner.”  
  
“They were waiting for us, you weren’t to know.”  
  
“Still,” Chin rests his hand on Danny’s shoulder. Danny knows his friend is trying to comfort him by the hand just feels like an added weight. “I’m sorry, we both are.”  
  
Danny wants to tell them the truth. That he not only knows what Steve’s gift is, but he’s experienced it first hand, but the words don’t come out. Unconsciously, his hand presses against his stomach where the bullet had entered.   
  
“Come on,” Kono smiles softly at him, “This is Steve we’re talking about, it’ll take more than a bullet to take him down.”  
  
“Kono’s right,” Chin adds, “He’s strong, stubborn.”  
  
Danny knows they’re right, but his mind always goes to the worst possible scenario, it always had. He’s known Steve for less than a year but it feels like he’s known him for all his life. He doesn’t know how he’ll cope if Steve doesn’t survive. He can’t help but think back to that evening at Steve’s when they’d come close to taking their relationship to a new level. He regrets that he left, regrets that he didn’t try and talk to Steve about it the next day. He doesn’t want to have any regrets hanging over him.  
  
“Hey,” Kono pulls him out of his thoughts, “Why don’t we go get you cleaned up?”  
  
Danny blinks and looks down at himself. Steve’s blood still stains his hands but now it’s dried and beginning to flake onto the floor below him. He lets them take over. Chin guides him to the nearest bathroom where he can take off his ruined clothes and wash the blood off. Meanwhile, Kono tracks down some scrubs in his size.   
  
It takes another hour for a doctor to appear with news. Danny jumps to his feet with the doctor walks towards them.   
  
“I’m guessing you’re here for Commander McGarrett? I’m Doctor Wheeler” The doctor introduces himself.   
  
Danny nods, “He’s only got a sister on the Mainland, we’re all he has.”  
  
“Well, the Commander is out of surgery and in recovery right now. The bullet did a bit of damage on the way through but didn’t hit any major arteries so we were able to go in and stop the bleeding. We’re a little concerned about his blood pressure, he did lose a lot of blood before we could get him into surgery but we’ve given him a transfusion and we’re hoping to see an improvement very soon.”  
  
“But he’ll be okay?”   
  
Doctor Wheeler nods at Danny “He’s strong, healthy, so barring any complications, we expect him to make a full recovery. He’ll have to stay here for at least a week, possibly two depending on how quickly he bounces back and if he develops an infection but we’ve got him in a broad-spectrum antibiotic which should avoid that possibility entirely.”  
  
“When can I see him?”  
  
“Soon,” Doctor Wheeler promises, “They’re just getting him settled now, I’ll get one of the nurses to come find you when he’s ready for visitors.”  
  
Danny sags back into his seat in relief. “Thank you.”  
  
As soon as he’s allowed he follows a nurse to Steve’s room, replacing one uncomfortable chair for another. Steve is still asleep when he walks into the room, plain blue hospital sheets pulled up to his waist, his hands resting at his sides and a variety of wires and tubes leading from him to the machines beside him.   
  
The closed door which leads out to the busy hallway somehow manages to block out most of the sound which leaves Danny suddenly aware of how quiet it is. He hates the quiet. When Rachel had first moved out with Grace the quiet had been the thing that had slowly driven Danny crazy. Coming from a big family where the noise was a constant presence, the silence unnerved him.   
  
Since moving to Hawaii, he fills the quiet with whatever he could find. The radio, shopping channels, arguing with Steve. The silence now is unbearable.   
  
“So” He begins, determined to fill the quiet, even if Steve can't hear him. “I was wondering how long it would take for you to tell me what your gift was. I was beginning to think it was something really embarrassing, like acid snot or hands for feet or something.”  
  
Steve’s eyes stay shut, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm that reassures Danny. 

“I should have known really, figured it out. Y’see I know you well enough to know that sacrifice isn’t new to you. Not sure who told you weren’t worth enough and I swear I’m gonna prove till my dying day that it’s not true...Jeez McGarret, taking a bullet for someone is one thing, but actually _taking_ a bullet wound is a whole other thing that I just can’t get my head around.”  
  
“Can you get your head around it a little quieter?” Steve moans and Danny is so surprised by the voice that he jolts in his seat, “Someone who’s just had surgery for a bullet to the gut is trying to sleep right now.”   
  
Steve’s eyes slowly open and Danny rises up to perch on the edge of the bed, giving his prone partner a better view of him.   
  
“Hey, how’re you feeling?”  
  
“Like I got shot.”  
  
“Funny, I distinctly remember being the one who got shot.”  
  
“Oh yeah?” Steve plays along, “Then how am I the one in hospital?”   
  
Danny raises an eyebrow, “You tell me, partner.”  
  
Steve sighs, “Think you’ve figured it out already.”  
  
“It’s your gift” Danny answers bluntly and Steve nods, “How long have you been able to-  
  
“Take other people’s injuries? Since I was sixteen...Mary was riding her bike in the front yard and then next thing I know she hits a rock and gets thrown off and onto the driveway...She had this nasty broken leg and a load of cuts and scrapes and she was crying her eyes out. Can’t remember where mom and dad were but I touched her and the next thing I know my tibia is broken and I’m in agony on the ground...she was fine.”  
  
“Shit Steve,” Danny unconsciously rests his hand over Steve’s open hand.   
  
“Dad was terrified when he found out, scared how people might..._use_ me. I’ve had to be careful who I told.”  
  
Danny can’t even begin to imagine what that would be like. Knowing that if the wrong person knew about his gift then he could be forced to use it against his will. If Danny’s gunshot wound had been worse, Steve wouldn’t have made it out of surgery. His life depended on secrecy.   
  
“You could’ve told me,” Danny reminds him softly.   
  
“I know...it’s been so long since I’ve told anyone, it’s hard.”  
  
Danny wonders who else knew. His ex Catherine? Possible not, the Governor, highly unlikely. “Who else knows?”  
  
“My ex CO Joe White...Freddie knew...Mary, obviously.”  
  
Danny stores away the unknown names mentioned to return to at a later time. 

“And you,” Steve adds, sliding his fingers through Danny’s until they’re holding hands.   
  
“Steve,” Danny begins, staring down at their entwined hands, “What you did for me…”  
  
“I would do it again in a heartbeat."  
  
“Well that’s where we’re gonna have a problem,” Danny squeezes Steve’s hand tightly, “‘Cos I’m not gonna let you risk your life for me like that, not again.”  
  
Steve frowns, “But you have Grace and a family back in Jersey.”  
  
“You have family too,” Danny reminds him, “And you have _me_ and I couldn't live with myself if you died because of me...do you understand that?”  
  
“Danny-”  
  
“No,” Danny cuts him off. Reaching over, he cups Steve’s face, his thumb brushing across his cheek. Their eyes meet and Danny tries to convey the seriousness of his words to Steve, “If we’re gonna do this, I need to know you won’t take my injuries if I’m hurt, not without my consent.”  
  
Steve hesitates and Danny hopes he won’t fight Danny on this. He’s so grateful to Steve for saving his life but the guilt is too much. It should be him in that bed. Finally, Steve gives a nod and Danny relaxes.   
  
“We’re gonna do this huh?” Steve asks, the hint of a smile on his face.   
  
“Don’t be an idiot, we’ve been heading this way for a while now.”   
  
“True,” Steve agrees, his smile widening. Danny could get used to that sight. With a slight tug on his hand, Steve encourages Danny down until their lips meet in a gentle kiss. Danny pulls away before Steve can deepen the kiss, determined not to let it go any further until Steve is out of the hospital and there’s no chance of stitches popping.   
  
With proper motivation from Danny, Steve is released from hospital after six days and Danny temporarily moves into Steve’s spare bedroom to help during his recovery. Steve tries on a number of occasions to encourage Danny to sleep in the master bedroom with him but Danny is firm about no extracurricular activities until he gets the sign off from the doctor.   
  
A few days after being released, he invites Kono and Chin over for food. They order enough pizza for eight people as well as garlic bread and fries and they gorge on the unhealthy food out on Steve’s beach. After stuffing themselves, Steve takes Danny’s hand in his and reveals his gift to the rest of his team, trusting them with his secret.   
  
Danny smiles as they listen, understanding the seriousness of what they’ve been told and the importance of keeping it a secret. The hand holding is also a huge giveaway and when Steve is finished Kono winks at them both. Danny rolls his eyes.   
  
A month later, Danny and Grace are at Steve’s for a barbeque. Grace laughs and screams as Steve chases her in and out of the water whilst Danny mans the grill. Steve’s version of grilling is a mixture of barely cooked steak and overcooked chicken so it’s always best if he handles the food. The fork in his grip drops when he hears a shriek that sounds different from the others. Looking up he sees Grace on the floor and Steve running over to her. Danny abandons the food and runs over to find his daughter with tears welling in her eyes and a nasty cut over her knee.   
  
“Oh sweetie,” Danny comforts her, “We’ll get you patched up, I promise,” he strokes her hair and presses a kiss to her temple.   
  
“It’s okay Danny,” Steve tells him, giving him a look at Danny recognises from that day at the warehouse.   
  
“Steve-  
  
“It’s just a cut, I can handle it”  
  
“Are you sure?” Danny knows he can handle a cut. He’s checking to see if Steve’s okay with his daughter knowing his secret.   
  
Steve nods and then waits for Danny to give him the okay. Whilst he doesn’t like the idea of Steve taking his injuries, his daughter is a different story. It might only be a small cut but it hurts him to see Grace hurting.   
  
“Monkey?” Grace sniffs as she looks up at her father. “You know how I have a special gift? I know when people aren’t telling the truth?” She nods “Well your Uncle Steve has a gift too, a super special secret gift. You wanna see?” She nods again.  
  
Steve’s hand reaches over and covers the bloody wound on her knee. She gasps softly and Danny remembers the feeling of being healed by Steve like it was only yesterday. A moment later, he pulls his hand away and she’s good as new, not a mark on her skin. Her eyes widen in shock and Danny can’t help but huff out a laugh at her reaction.   
  
Steve looks down at his own bloody knee and then back up at Danny with a wry smile, “I’m gonna go get a band-aid, back in a sec,” Steve hobbles back into the house and returns a minute later with a brand new band-aid over his right knee. Grace is already back up on her feet and running around the lawn like the fall never happened.   
  
Danny can’t help but tug Steve close and press a quick kiss to the corner of his mouth. “Thank you.”   
  
Steve grins in return. The kind of grin that leaves Danny’s heart pounding. He begins to plan a proper thank you much later when Grace is back at Rachel’s. “You’re welcome.”


End file.
